'Ugh, I'm not planning to get entangled into any problem, but to think I would meet a bandit group .' Noel thought while glancing at the demons inside the cage. 'Still, it seems that Anna is telling the truth. I want to suspect her for being connected to the Devil Supreme Organization, but I don't have any proof.
'Still, the fact that the method of controlling the demons are spread to the bandits, I don't think this is something I can handle. The mastermind would most likely be far stronger than me, so I'll just handle only the bandits, not the investigation of this incident.' Noel thought while jumping back, trying to gain some distance from the bandits.
At the same time, Noel wanted to use this chance to approach this merchant group.
However, it seemed that their group couldn't contain their calms when they saw the demons raging in the cage.
"How come there are demons?"
The fighters among them were panicking because they'd heard enough about the ferocity of the demons but never fought one themselves.
Suddenly, a middle-aged man stepped up while unsheathing his sword, saying, "Don't be afraid. You can fight the demons with a pair. All of you focus in stopping the demons, I'll handle the bandits."
"Lucas, what's wrong?" A female's voice echoed from the carriage at the very front of the group. The door was opened as two people came out. The female had an enchanted blue eyes paired with long blue hair that tied into a ponytail. Behind her was a slightly older male with a similar feature.
"Demons? Bandits?" The man frowned when they saw this.
"Please stay inside, young lord, young miss. We'll handle the bandits." The middle-aged man glanced at them before swinging his sword as an arrow flew toward the carriage.
"It seems that we're going to be rich after this, boss." The bandit suddenly interrupted them with a shout, looking at this group like that of a prey.
"Attack!" The bandit leader shouted while pointing at the merchant group.
In that instant, the bandits opened the cage. The demons came out and charged at the group as if they didn't know the bandits existed.
The tension rose as the guards were scared of these demons. They moved faster than a normal animal and their hide was harder, making them hard to kill by a normal soldier.
'Really? They're scared of these? Even the acceptance of the Demon Banner Army requires you to kill ten demons. And these guards are afraid of Low Level Demons?' Noel thought but he also had another absurd thought in this situation. 'Now that I think about it, it seems that everyone has forgotten about me despite almost being the first casualty.'
Noel had a mixed feeling. On the one hand, it was good that no one paid any attention to him. He could use this opportunity to leave them behind. On the other hand, he noticed something off from the bandits, so he needed to interrogate them a little bit.
'Well, since no one is looking at me…' Noel sneakily went behind the carriage so that no one would see him. He also made sure that the two people inside this carriage didn't see him. After that, he used his Increase Agility Rune as well as Strength Blessing Rune to amplify his power.
This was enough as a preparation to eliminate the bandits. And the first clicking metal resounded on the battlefield as the soldier tried to cut the demon only to be stopped by its sharp claws.
More and more demons reached the group, trampling over the soldiers. Because they were afraid, the soldiers had a hard time dealing with the demons despite banding together.
Seeing this, the middle-aged guard shouted, "I'm going to end this myself."
He jumped forth, approaching the bandits.
While they were clashing, Noel suddenly had a thought.
'Now that I think about it, I have the mission to kill demons and help citizens. And they'll keep repeating, allowing me to farm many Honor Points. But how about the bandits? Ardagan, do you have a mission to subjugate bandits? I mean, I've encountered two groups in a span of few days.'
Suddenly, the Spirit Seal became itchy again as he received the response from Ardagan. The moment he checked the system, a smile couldn't help but appear on his face.
Medal: Military Honor Merit
Requirement: Kill 10 Bandits (0/10)
Reward: Medal of Honor and 4 Honor Points
'That's my Ardagan.' Noel smirked, feeling excited. 'Alright. I've decided, let's kill all the demons and the bandits.'
While Noel was expecting the mission, the clash had become fierce. The middle-aged guard was trying to fight against 14 bandits, but he ended up getting overwhelmed due to the difference in number. Even the leader of the bandit who seemed to be stronger than all of them had yet to make his move.
At the same time, the demons were creating chaos in the group. The guards had a hard time dealing with the demon because they never faced a demon or had any knowledge on how to deal with the demons.
Of course, there were a few stronger guards among them, who managed to make the situation in a complete standstill.
Meanwhile, the two people inside the carriage were shaking while looking at the situation.
"What should we do now, Brother?" The female asked. Her face became pale and her voice was shaking. This was the first time she experienced a life threatening situation.
Meanwhile, her brother waved his hand down. Even though he was scared himself, he still tried to calm her down. "Don't worry. Let's believe in our guards."
"Y-yes." She nodded, but soon her relieved expression was replaced by a horrified one as the guard suddenly screamed in pain.
The demon bit his arm and ripped it apart, causing the guard to fall to the ground.
Even the brother became pale after witnessing this scene, thinking they would die if they continued to stay here.
However, a hope soon appeared as Noel, who had been ignored this whole time, made his appearance.
His appearance gave a strong impact as Noel slashed the demon's neck in a single slash. His sword was covered in blue light and his expression was cold and aloof.
He looked at the entire situation and muttered inwardly, 'Alright, let's gather some Honor Po—Ahem, I mean, let's save people and subjugate the bandits."